U to Test Overnight RV Program This Weekend

per the U:

U to Test Overnight RV Program This Weekend

The University of Minnesota is testing an overnight RV pilot program this weekend when the Gophers host Illinois for Homecoming.

RVs can arrive in the Victory Lot between 6:00 – 10:00 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4 and must vacate the lot by 12 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6. The Victory Lot is sold out for RV parking this weekend, but fans who are interested in this opportunity for the 2020 football season are encouraged to register here. Additional details on this program for the 2020 season will be shared as soon as they are finalized.

A list of policies and resources for the overnight RV lot can be found here and fans utilizing this service should familiarize themselves with this information.

Minnesota hosts Illinois at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium. The Gophers are 4-0 this year and are 8-2 in their last 10 games.

Minnesota is 43-29 at TCF Bank Stadium as the Gophers celebrate 10 years at TCF this season. Minnesota is 14 games over .500 at TCF Bank Stadium, which is its best mark at the stadium. The Gophers opened the facility with a 20-13 win against Air Force on Sept. 12, 2009, but then dropped to 7-13 after 20 games. Since then (Nov. 26, 2011), Minnesota is 36-16 at home (69.2% win percentage).

Go Gophers!!

Very cool!

Super excited to hear this. Other Big Ten stadiums have this as well, and it is well overdue for us if you ask me. We'll be taking advantage of this.

They should eventually expand this to the Fairgrounds lots. Let people pay $20 to leave any vehicle (RV included) in the lot during the same timeframe.

I'm gonna need to find the guidelines. This is one thing that could get me to get season tickets once again.

between 6:00 – 10:00 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4 and must vacate the lot by 12 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6.

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I can't drink that much!

Has anyone here actually used an RV in that lot? I'm curious about space width. Most RVs are 8-8.5 feet wide. I know mine barely fits inside a normal parking space (two car lengths) if at all. Don't know if it would work.

Is this old or new news? First time I have seen it.

Good to know. I wonder who were the chosen few to be in the test group?

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Homecoming weekend - October 4th - October 6th when the Gophers take on Illinois.

Overnight RV Tailgating Times

Friday, October 4th: 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. (Those arriving outside of the operation hours must park elsewhere.)
Saturday, October 5th (Gameday): 7 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sunday, October 6th: Must vacate the lot by 12 p.m.
Quiet hours for Minneapolis are 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Policies

Upon departure, all tailgating supplies must be properly disposed of or stored/carried out in the vehicle.
Any people in the lot outside of the documented tailgate times will need to be occupants of the RV's.
No more than one non-recreational vehicle that is attached to the RV. This is permissible as long the additional vehicle can fit into the assigned space.
As the spots will be assigned, those in violation of dumping will have their parking passes revoked and would be billed for any required clean-up.
At a minimum, the vehicle must be classified as a recreational vehicle by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
RV must be self-sufficient as power and water hookups will not be available.
Must fit into the dimensions of the space. Any camper must contain temporary living quarters with sleeping accommodations.
Standard tailgating policies apply.

Fan Resources

Standard portable restrooms will be available in the lots starting the day prior to the football game.
Trash and recycling bags will be made available upon load-in. Cans for disposal will be in set up the morning of the game.
Parking attendants will be onsite during tailgating hours. University of Minnesota Police will monitor the lots from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Power will not be provided onsite.

Neareast RV Dump Site

Mike's LP Gas Inc & RV Service Center
1350 Frost Ave, Maplewood MN 55109 / 651-770-9448
$4 user fee / Dump station is available 24 hours / 13 miles and 18 minutes away from TCF Bank Stadium
rvdumps.com or sanidumps.com for more locations

Towing/Service Company

Twin Cities Transportation and Recovery
24/7 Towing - 651-642-1446 - Heavy Duty Towing and Roadside Assistanc

Does that lot require a donation like the rest of the U lots? If so, still a good thing. If not, a great thing. The U needs a huge lot (can even be grass/dirt) that is within walking distance of the stadium that can be used on a per-game basis without the donation requirement. Building stuff up like this would really give TCF Bank Stadium an obvious advantage over US Bank Stadium: a vibrant, available tailgate scene. Things like this can actually build up a ticket base that isn't so dependent on winning every game. There are many reasons for lagging attendance and overall that is a topic unto itself. But, among all the issues, a sneaky one is the effect 25 years in the metrodome had: just a little bad weather and people stay away in droves. Now there are football products in two bank named stadiums facing each other across the river and one of them has a roof and 70 degree temps every game. The other could have a vibrant tailgate scene that would level the field when it comes to game day experiences.

Schnauzer said:

Does that lot require a donation like the rest of the U lots? If so, still a good thing. If not, a great thing. The U needs a huge lot (can even be grass/dirt) that is within walking distance of the stadium that can be used on a per-game basis without the donation requirement. Building stuff up like this would really give TCF Bank Stadium an obvious advantage over US Bank Stadium: a vibrant, available tailgate scene. Things like this can actually build up a ticket base that isn't so dependent on winning every game. There are many reasons for lagging attendance and overall that is a topic unto itself. But, among all the issues, a sneaky one is the effect 25 years in the metrodome had: just a little bad weather and people stay away in droves. Now there are football products in two bank named stadiums facing each other across the river and one of them has a roof and 70 degree temps every game. The other could have a vibrant tailgate scene that would level the field when it comes to game day experiences.

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Sorry to revisit the RV tailgating conversation (I ended up RV tailgating in the St. Paul S108 lot and had an absolute blast, btw), but I inquired about the Victory Lot when I called the AD about the St. Paul lot. The only people allowed to RV tailgate in the Victory Lot are football season ticket holders. There's no additional donation requirement or anything like that, but you do have to pay a $700 fee to RV tailgate for the season. If I understood her correctly (you can never tell with the ticket office), you have to purchase a pass for the full season in order to RV tailgate there - no single-game passes are sold.

Oh interesting, would people actually spend the night(s) in the campers?? Brrrrr! That would be a cold sleep. Not like you have a furnace in those things.

I thought it was more of a convenience thing.

Schnauzer said:

Does that lot require a donation like the rest of the U lots? If so, still a good thing. If not, a great thing. The U needs a huge lot (can even be grass/dirt) that is within walking distance of the stadium that can be used on a per-game basis without the donation requirement. Building stuff up like this would really give TCF Bank Stadium an obvious advantage over US Bank Stadium: a vibrant, available tailgate scene. Things like this can actually build up a ticket base that isn't so dependent on winning every game. There are many reasons for lagging attendance and overall that is a topic unto itself. But, among all the issues, a sneaky one is the effect 25 years in the metrodome had: just a little bad weather and people stay away in droves. Now there are football products in two bank named stadiums facing each other across the river and one of them has a roof and 70 degree temps every game. The other could have a vibrant tailgate scene that would level the field when it comes to game day experiences.

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Feel free to look for yourself: https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9610824,-93.2226064,2119a,35y,38.9t/data=!3m1!1e3

But I dare say there just isn't any such thing, that you would qualify as "walkable". The best chance at something would be if they tore down those old grain elevators. But I'm sure that no one is going to the trouble and cost of doing that if there aren't already plans to put new buildings (apartments/retail or academic buildings) in their place.

You've got the river flats, which is already on a one year stay of execution, and is a doable walk but still a pretty good effort. And that's pretty much it?

There is some area over by Surly Brewing. I guess that is a reasonable walk.

Very cool idea. I'd think that as far as the walking issue goes... some sort of golf cart shuttle/taxi situation would work well. Maybe a couple busses nearer to gametime....get on them at the designated time or don't.

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Panthadad2 said:

Has anyone here actually used an RV in that lot? I'm curious about space width. Most RVs are 8-8.5 feet wide. I know mine barely fits inside a normal parking space (two car lengths) if at all. Don't know if it would work.

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Yes, we've been in the season RV lot for a handful of years now. I can't remember 100% but the lot staff chalks off spots for each person and I believe they were 2 spots deep x 3 spots wide last game.

dpodoll68 said:

Sorry to revisit the RV tailgating conversation (I ended up RV tailgating in the St. Paul S108 lot and had an absolute blast, btw), but I inquired about the Victory Lot when I called the AD about the St. Paul lot. The only people allowed to RV tailgate in the Victory Lot are football season ticket holders. There's no additional donation requirement or anything like that, but you do have to pay a $700 fee to RV tailgate for the season. If I understood her correctly (you can never tell with the ticket office), you have to purchase a pass for the full season in order to RV tailgate there - no single-game passes are sold.

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Correct, the RV section of the Victory Lot is sold as a season pass, $ 700 for the season with no additional donation. No single game passes are sold as far as I know of, but every once and while there is a random new vehicle there for one game, so people may sell their passes on the second hand market.

I can only imagine how many hoops the athletic department had to jump through to get this done. I really hope that it goes well and that they are able to make this an option available for all games starting next year.

2nd Degree Gopher said:

I can only imagine how many hoops the athletic department had to jump through to get this done. I really hope that it goes well and that they are able to make this an option available for all games starting next year.

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I was thinking the same thing.

I once was stuck between the folks who handle parking at the U ... and the athletic department. Neither side could figure out why the other told me to call them.

It was pure madness.

MnplsGopher said:

Oh interesting, would people actually spend the night(s) in the campers?? Brrrrr! That would be a cold sleep. Not like you have a furnace in those things.

I thought it was more of a convenience thing.

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Never seen a camper/RV without a heater.

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:

I was thinking the same thing.

I once was stuck between the folks who handle parking at the U ... and the athletic department. Neither side could figure out why the other told me to call them.

It was pure madness.

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I've heard that doing a conference call with both parties can help with that, and save yourself some trouble. Obviously doing that requires them to be willing to try that though.

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:

I was thinking the same thing.

I once was stuck between the folks who handle parking at the U ... and the athletic department. Neither side could figure out why the other told me to call them.

It was pure madness.

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The runaround is ridiculous and unprofessional. A personal rule for me in every job I have had since college is that if an external stakeholder calls me, and they were referred to me by someone else in my organization (usually a different department), it is my job to either address their issue, or take their number down, track down the right person, and make that person call them. It is completely unacceptable for someone in an organization to keep bouncing you around to the wrong person. It is not their job to navigate your interdepartmental relationships and division of labor. What is absolutely ridiculous is when someone insists you need to call a number despite you telling them you already called that number and got referred elsewhere.

Megan chimes in:

RVs allowed

Fans can now park their RVs overnight ahead of the 2:30 p.m., homecoming game against Illinois. It’s part of a pilot program and one of several new initiatives the Gophers have tried recently to improve the fan experience and encourage more people to buy tickets to games.

RVs can arrive in the sold-out Victory Lot between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Friday. RVs must leave the lot by noon Sunday.

http://www.startribune.com/gophers-carter-coughlin-plays-through-injuries-gets-healthier/561933952/

Go Gophers!!

MnplsGopher said:

Oh interesting, would people actually spend the night(s) in the campers?? Brrrrr! That would be a cold sleep. Not like you have a furnace in those things.

I thought it was more of a convenience thing.

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You have a furnace for sure that runs off propane usually. You have electricity that runs off batteries. If it isn't below freezing you can have water in your tanks...and in some you can if you have water heaters on your tanks and insulated lines.

CoMn said:

You have a furnace for sure that runs off propane usually. You have electricity that runs off batteries. If it isn't below freezing you can have water in your tanks...and in some you can if you have water heaters on your tanks and insulated lines.

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I'm very far from an expert on RVs. Thanks for the info!

Taji34 said:

I've heard that doing a conference call with both parties can help with that, and save yourself some trouble. Obviously doing that requires them to be willing to try that though.

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Yeah I got it sorted out eventually.

Also some unrelated background info I heard later seemed to indicate that my exact situation would not have occurred today, hopefully that is the case.